In ‘ The Garden of Love ‘ Blake harshly criticizes the oppression put on human lives by institutionalized religion. Why does he do it? How does he do it?
The Garden of Love by William Blake is a powerful poem that criticizes institutionalized religion. He criticizes Institutionalized religion to show others how people are suffering because of it. He gives this idea in a very creative way. He uses an extended metaphor to bring out this powerfully.
At the time of William Blake England had a corrupted government ruled by kings. People were not allowed to stand against injustice because the church from supported the government to suppress the people for their reputation. They misused the religion. Priests said that the king is the agent of the God. So people had to obey the king. Religion was institutionalized. William Blake harshly criticizes this social problem in his poem ” The Garden of Love “.
The speaker went to the Garden of Love where he used to play in his childhood. Here Garden of Love represents the Garden of Eden in Bible. Garden of Eden is a paradise where love , freedom , joy exists. The speaker saw many things in the garden which he had never seen before.
” And saw what I never had seen “
A Chapel was built in the middle of the garden. But he was not allowed to enter it. He has lost the place where he was used to play. So he was sad. And he saw that the beautiful flowers bore in the garden were not there any more. The garden was filled with graves and tombstones. He was sad because his joy and the place where he used to play was taken by the Chapel and graves.
” And binding with briars my joys and desires ”
That is the surface meaning of the poem. But through this little meanings he brings out a deeper meaning.
If the Garden of Love is life , life is bound with institutionalized religion. It restricted people doing whatever they like. Just like limiting the freedom of the child to play in the garden. He indirectly tells that due to religious establishment people’s freedom was lost. Flowers represent the freedom , desires of the people. There was a time that people got freedom.
” That so many sweet flowers bore ”
Life had been a beautiful place before religion interrupted it. Blake wanted to show that to the people , how religious establishments have bound the people with limitations.
Graves and tombstones represents death , restriction and bad side of the life. Human desires are blocked by Priests. Priests in black gowns gives a sense of gloomyness. They do their duty by regimanting people.
” And Priests in black gowns were walking their rounds ”
Likewise Blake harshly criticizes the institutionalized religion because it has made the life, a dull place.
He criticizes the religious establishments because people are suffering. They can’t decide what to do. They have to obey to the rulers. Their rights are violated. They have lost their freedom. And they don’t see what has happened to them. They have become blind because of fear. So he wanted to show them that they are restricted.
Blake is not critical about the religion. He is critical about the agents of institutions ( priests ) / institutionalized religion that put oppressions on human lives. A group of people get all the benefits but while ordinary people are suffering. He harshly criticized that discrimination.
He has used an extended metaphor through his poem to bring out this idea. And he has presented it as feelings of a little child. So the readers get more emotional. He has used so many symbols such as Chapel , Flowers , Graves , Priests and Garden of Love. And also he has used a biblical allusion. ( Garden of Love represents Garden of Eden ). So the readers pay more attention because they honour the religion. Like wise, he criticizes the oppression put on human lives by institutionalized religion.
William Blake wanted to stop the huge discrimination created by the institutionalized religion for the ordinary people’s sake. That’s why he harshly criticizes the religious establishments. So it is true that in The Garden of Love , Blake harshly criticizes the oppression put on human lives by institutionalized religion.